Which Strops for a Beginner

Hello cbaytan,

Welcome to Straight Razor Place.

The Illinois 827, 127 and 381 (without a handle) are all good strops for beginners. Also, check Straight Razor Designs for their selection of quality strops.

For a razor, a quality 5/8 or 6/8 round point is ideal. Make sure it comes to you shave ready.

I suggest forgetting about honing right now. What is important is to learn how to shave with the straight razor, and how to strop properly, before tackling honing. There is plenty of time for honing.

Have patience and go slowly. Try not to accumulate a big collection of straight razors at the beginning, because your taste will change. One or two razors should be plenty for now. Good luck.

^^^^^ Sensible advice

No harm buying a nice strop early on. Just make sure you also buy a 2 inch practice strop, and use IT until you are comfortable and confident you won't screw up the nice one. Enjoy looking at and palming your nice new expensive strop, but learn and make your mistakes on the cheaper practice strop.

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Originally Posted by Obie

Welcome to Straight Razor Place.

The Illinois 827, 127 and 381 (without a handle) are all good strops for beginners.

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Thanks for the warm welcome,


Do you mean 361? Can you be more specific please which "one" is the best for me, (or from others) if you choose the 361, how it's used without handle (or do I attach one myself?)

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Originally Posted by cau

No harm buying a nice strop early on.

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Like....? :)

Thanks.

My first was a Tony Miller Heirloom. Very nice strop... I also bought his practice strop, and used it for a month or so before putting a razor to the Heirloom. I bought 2 practice strops with my Scrupleworks strop so I'd have an extra to pass on to a friend in need.

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Originally Posted by cau

My first was a Tony Miller Heirloom. Very nice strop... I also bought his practice strop,

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Ok, what is your best strop now below $100ish? These are not expensive as I thought, almost same as Illinois.

Great advice from some very experienced members. My advice comes from someone new to SR (90days) from the standpoint of what I wish I would have done differently. Basically things I screwed up.

My initial setup was from SRD 5/8 Ralf Aust and a SRD 3" Latigo hanging strop. The first lesson I learned is stropping is a skill and takes more time than you would think just to do an average stropping job. By comparison learning to shave with a SR seemed easier to me than the stropping. I then purchased additional razors, CrOx, Diamond spray, paddle strop all trying to make the process easier. Lesson learned is it is not an easy process, it takes time and patience, not additional equipment. I would add that using pastes before I was good at stropping probably did more to dull the razors edge than improve it, and it certainly made things more confusing.

Today I am getting the best results with the original razor and strop I purchased, and nothing else. The only difference today is I am 90 days better at stropping, and SR shaving.

If I had it to do again I would have stuck with a quality razor, and quality strop, and not made any additional purchases or tried anything new (honing & pastes) until I had 90 to 100 days of SR & stropping experience.

There is no substitute for Time/Patience/Practice.

I struggle with the patience part : )

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Originally Posted by Newton3108

If I had it to do again I would have stuck with a quality razor, and quality strop, and not made any additional purchases or tried anything new (honing & pastes)

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What would those be?
Thanks.

You've gotten some great strop recommendations and advice from the experts so far. Many recommend that beginners start with a cheaper strop in case they nick it up real bad learning "the flip" before it becomes ingrained muscle memory. Some of us, myself included, started out the gate with a nice strop, in my case a Tony Miller 3" Latigo, which I learned on very carefully, with only a couple of tiny, inconsequential nicks as reminders. You can certainly find many nice strops for under $100.

But yeah, I echo what was said about learning how to properly strop a true shave-ready edge and keep it that way with linen and leather only for a while. And the part about holding off on honing is also good advice. I probably held off with the hones for a couple of years before diving in, and am only recently feeling that I am any good at it.

But because of that, I had to get really good at stropping! In fact, when I was doing the stropping station demos for new guys at a meetup a couple of years ago, one of them paid me the ultimate compliment: "You've got glide." Now if I can just get that same "glide" on the hones!

Anyway, one more thing that really helped me was to just go ahead and get the 3" strop, which means I didn't have to worry about the x-strokes so much. In fact, all of my strops are 3 inches wide. While some purists will say that you should learn that stroke, I haven't felt the need, though I can when needed on a 2-2.5 inch model.

Let us know what you get! Aaron

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Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

held off with the hones for a couple of years before diving in, and am only recently feeling that I am any good at it.
Let us know what you get! Aaron

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Thanks for the advices, what I don't understand is will coupla of shave ready razors will shave me with only stropping (without honing) like for a year or more like you did?

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Originally Posted by cbaytan

Thanks for the warm welcome,


Do you mean 361? Can you be more specific please which "one" is the best for me, (or from others) if you choose the 361, how it's used without handle (or do I attach one myself?)

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cbaytan,

My apologies. Yes, the 361. This is a barber style strop in that it has no handle; you just hold it by the ends. Of all the Illinois series strops, this is one my favorite, as I don't particularly care for handles on strop. I also like the 127. You will do well with any of them. Which is best for you? Well, let's start with the 127, although any of the three will work fine for you.

What is essential is that you learn to strop properly. There are many videos on subject. Lynn Abrams has a good one. Keep your speed low. For starters, practice with a butter knife that has a smooth edge; then move to the straight razor.

cbaytan,

For a razor, I suggest a Ralf Aust 5/8. This is a quality razor and a sweet shaver. For a strop, try one of the SRD models, if you like, or the Illinois. The Illinois strops we have talked about are 2.5 inches wide. Tony Miller has some 2.5 inch strops that are inexpensive but quality. Keep an eye on his site. SRD also has some 3-inch wide strops, if you like them. Whatever you do, don't start on the cheap and get junk: razor or strop.

It's hard to say how long an edge will last you before requiring honing. Variables are the razor and how you use it and your whiskers. It also assumes no mishaps with the razor. With somes razors you can go months and months and some you may only get 20 shaves.

Keep in mind all quality strops do the same thing. Whether you buy an $80 strop or a $600 one the result will be the same. There will be quality differences but they don't translate into better stropping.

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Originally Posted by cbaytan

Thanks for the advices, what I don't understand is will coupla of shave ready razors will shave me with only stropping (without honing) like for a year or more like you did?

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Like BigSpendur said, it depends on so many variables, and I didn't go completely without honing them, I just didn't do it myself. I got a lot of mileage out of stropping on colored newsprint (several threads on that), and sent my first few razors out a couple of times.

For example, my 1st razor was a Dovo Best 5/8" from Lynn's StraightRazorDesigns that used to be one of the default recommendations for newbies around here. I lucked out and got it with Lynn's free lifetime honing offer, and sent it back to him a couple of times. I'm not sure if he still offers that, but I used his edges as comparisons when I first started honing, and considered myself to be making progress when I could get "close" to his edges.

Again, let us know what you end up with!

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Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Again, let us know what you end up with!

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Thanks for the info, I sure will let you know.

I have been SR shaving since early July. I started with a 3 inch board strop. I now have a 3 inch hanging strop (linen/leather). Interesting though, I still prefer my board strop. The nice thing about a board strop is you have to go slow and focus on technique. I pair this with a newspaper strop and it does everything I need. I occasionally use my hanging strop....but it spends most of its time just hanging around. When I do use my hanging strop I lay it on a table and use it as a board strop. Its just habit now.

Regarding honing...I started shortly after I started shaving with a properly honed SR... so I knew what I was aiming for in terms of a keen edge when I started honing my own SRs. I started with a couple of beaters to learn on, but really it was not difficult to get a good edge. I use a 1K, 3/8k, 12k Naniwa set and it does everything I need. I don't bother with pastes.

A nice vintage strop on ebay. Red imp strops in good condition pop up all the time for around $30. I just found this one a few weeks ago. It's stamped like it's a kanyama??Attachment 245630

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Originally Posted by Whizbang

I have been SR shaving since early July. I started with a 3 inch board strop. I now have a 3 inch hanging strop (linen/leather). Interesting though, I still prefer my board strop.

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Thanks, yes, I am planning to get modular paddle strops too but with more pad options than Lynn's which has optional pads for kitchen knives we destroyed the edges in the dishwasher in the 80C drying process.

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Originally Posted by prodigy

A nice vintage strop on ebay. Red imp strops in good condition pop up all the time for around $30.

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Thanks but, I am currently far from to evaluate the value and useability of a vintage strop yet.

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Originally Posted by cbaytan

Thanks, yes, I am planning to get modular paddle strops too but with more pad options than Lynn's which has optional pads for kitchen knives we destroyed the edges in the dishwasher in the 80C drying process.

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If getting a paddle with pastes don't use the same pads for knives as razors. Razor quality pastes are more like polishes and aren't really going to be much use on knives unless you have sharpened them beyond what would be considered normal. Razor pastes ate usually around 30k. For a knife 6k would be more than most would use. Once you can strop properly though razor quality paste can keep your razor shaving for a good while.

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Originally Posted by eddy79

If getting a paddle with pastes don't use the same pads for knives as razors.

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Oh yeah, knife and razors honing tataly different worlds, I am well aware of that.
I was going to ask in honing question later, but let me ask you now. Cansider I am using a naniwa 4k/8k type of stone to hone my razor, can I use "same" stone with kitchen knives also, not forgetting tthe lapping of course? Or should you get a special 4/8k stone just for razors?

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Originally Posted by cbaytan

Oh yeah, knife and razors honing tataly different worlds, I am well aware of that.
I was going to ask in honing question later, but let me ask you now. Cansider I am using a naniwa 4k/8k type of stone to hone my razor, can I use "same" stone with kitchen knives also, not forgetting tthe lapping of course? Or should you get a special 4/8k stone just for razors?

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Although yes you can use them for knives I personally think its overkill for your average chef knife. I usually use something like a 300, 600 and finish on a 1000 and that's enough for me. If you decide to use them for Cutlery you of course will have to Lap them back into shape before using them on Razors, and to me that's just a waste of stone. Knife honing can dish the heck out of your fine stones if that's all your using, But its your choice.

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Originally Posted by Razorfaust

Although yes you can use them for knives I personally think its overkill for your average chef knife. I usually use something like a 300, 600 and finish on a 1000 and that's enough for me. If you decide to use them for Cutlery you of course will have to Lap them back into shape before using them on Razors, and to me that's just a waste of stone. Knife honing can dish the heck out of your fine stones if that's all your using, But its your choice.

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I'll politely disagree with that if I may. The stones we use to sharpen razors, we're mostly, if not entirely, made for the purpose of Sharpening knives and tools, that's the purpose of the stone. To avoid using a stone on a knife because it might wear the stone reminds me of this old saying.

"Buying a new car and not driving it to keep the miles low is like not having sex with your girlfriend so she's still tight for the next guy"

Exaggerate if you must, but yes of course they are for knives. I just mentioned that I wouldn't be using such high grit stones solely to hone a bunch of kitchen knives. Its a lot like trying to wax my low mileage car with a bag of cotton balls and a tin of kiwi. But if that's all you got to work with please do.

I know, there was a bit of sarcasm in my answer. But honestly, I could sharpen a kitchen knife thousands of times on a norton 4/8 and not put a dent in it. I would never put any of my kitchen knives on a 300 or 600 grit stone either. Which brings up a reason why I love this hobby. There's an infinite number of ways to to the same task, nobody is right or wrong, it's about doing what you are comfortable with.

Back to the OP. You may not know what to look for in a vintage strop, but that's what this site is for. You ask for help. I have two extra vintage strops lying around that I would be glad to sell you for no profit. I tend to buy things when I see a good deal, even if I don't need it.

I would not use a nice strop for a while. It takes a few weeks to stop nicking the strop. I was very glad to have used an inexpensive practice strop before I started on the good one. I really gouged out some huge divots! I would have been very disappointed had I done that to my good strop.

The good news is that a decent strop doesn't cost a fortune and you can spend $30 on something nice (many good ones have already been mentioned) that will do a good job but that you won't feel terrible WHEN not if you cut the heck out of it!

Mostly though, don't worry about it. It will happen and that's OK. Soon enough muscle memory will kick in and you will experience "the zen of shaving" while stropping. It's the best part of my day!


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I wouldn't recommend a Kanayama as a beginner strop as for you will definitely knick the leather.
Illinois and SRD strops are good to begin with. I like Tony Miller Strops, but steer clear from Kanayamas until you have the technique down.

Kind of related to the OP question.

Is there any maintenance required for a pasted strop?
It's a once a month or every few months thing, so will it dry out or anything?
Also don't want to contaminate other strops, so should be kept somewhere else?

Thanks much folks, I have 2 more questions,

1-What is the Lynn's user name, his website didnt reply to my email.
2-What balm or oil I should get especially for Illinois strop maintanence and how I use it properly? (My hands are extremely dry)

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Originally Posted by mannye

The good news is that a decent strop doesn't cost a fortune and you can spend $30 on something nice (many good ones have already been mentioned) that will do a good job but that you won't feel terrible WHEN not if you cut the heck out of it!

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I was planning to get Lynn's paddle strop too, for exercising and pastes etc, but do you think using both types not good for muscle memory? All my strops better be either hanging style or paddle type? Do they mix for a newbie?

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Originally Posted by cbaytan

I was planning to get Lynn's paddle strop too, for exercising and pastes etc, but do you think using both types not good for muscle memory? All my strops better be either hanging style or paddle type? Do they mix for a newbie?

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cbaytan,

I think you're making things difficult for yourself.

In the beginning, all you really need is one strop and one or two shave ready razors. Forget the pasts; give your strop a hand palm rubbing two or three times a week, before showering, and you're set. The oils from your hands are all the conditioner you need. The SRD, Illinois or Tony Miller strops all will work equally well. Don't worry so much about nicking your strop — maybe you will not nick it as much as you think.

Beware of getting your equipment on eBay, because pictures and descriptions can be deceiving.

In the beginning, don't clutter your shave den with stuff. Get the basics, although quality, and start honing your skill with the straight razor and the strop. Start lean. There is plenty of time for Kanayama, Puma or the rest of the fancy stuff.

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Originally Posted by cbaytan

I was planning to get Lynn's paddle strop too, for exercising and pastes etc, but do you think using both types not good for muscle memory? All my strops better be either hanging style or paddle type? Do they mix for a newbie?

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It's fine. Once you become comfortable with the motion it doesn't really matter what strop you use.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

prodigy, I envy you that Kana...lol

Really pretty much strops are strops. I will say I love my vintage shell horsehide strops. I and some other members have found Ballistol to work great on strops & leather in general. It is great on metals also I add some to my Smith's honing oil & use it on my Coti with great success.
Yes get a good leather strop & learn to use it before trying a expensive one. Keep your eye's open at garage sales, auctions & flea markets. That is where I have got most all of my shaving equipment. HAVE FUN!

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Originally Posted by bobski

prodigy, I envy you that Kana...lol

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Here's all mine side by side
Attachment 246469Attachment 246472